You probably know by now that dark beers are my thing. This week for #Beersaturday I will be reviewing two dark beers, a chocolate stout and a porter. Let's get right into it, shall we?
Chockie Wockie Chocolate Milk Stout
Brewery: Cameron's Brewing Co
Origin: Oakville ON Canada
Style: Milk Stout
Abv: 5.8%
IBU: 30
SRM: Unknown
Hops: East Kent Golding
Marketing: The can has a Milk chocolate brown and white color scheme with orange accents. The design image is a sasquatch in a wintery snow covered landscape. The Camerons brand logo is also displayed prominantly up front. The name of the beer is playful and fun.
The back of the can has a short blurb on it and there is some additional info about the hops used and IBU rating, which I like to see. Extra info is always appreciated. Overall I like the fun design and thinks that is looks like a can that would contain a stout beer. Good marketing for me.
Color: The beer poured a dark black color with a tan head of foam on top. The foam dissipated rather quickly with just a hint remaining after a few minutes.
Nose: The beer had a strong roasted aroma with coffee, cocoa and chocolate notes. On brand with the name of the beer.
Taste: Very little sweetness upfront, more dry than anything with a nice punch of bitterness in the finish. The finish was fairly quick and didn't linger. I tasted strong roasted notes, coffee and cocoa and a little dark chocolate in the background. Very flavorful and very pleasant overall.
Texture: Sharp bubbles carbonation over a velvety texture underneath. Pleasant medium bodied mouthfeel.
Impression: This was another good beer with a lot of roasted flavors, not sweet but more on the dry side, bitter but very drinkable. I liked it quite a bit. I would recommend to anyone who likes a bold dry stout.
Muddy York Porter
Brewery: Muddy York Brewing Co
Origin: Stouffville, ON Canada
Style: Porter
Abv: 4.7%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: The can is a tan color with black and dusty rose accents. Stylized writing and a skull image over a flower motif in the background. It has a tattoo shop vibe to it that is not my style but its fine (nothing against tatoos - I have two of them, just not into this particular art style).
The back of the can has a short blurb about where the style of beer gets its name (i.e. Porters and dock workers) as well as some additional tasting notes. Sometimes I find the tasting notes helpful in that I try and see if I can notice them coming through when I drink the beer. I try and read them after my initial impressions though, so they don't influence me fully. Decent marketing overall I'd say.
Color: The beer poured a dark chestnut brown color, almost black, but not quite. Some light comes through at the bottom of the glass and around the edges showing its rich brown color. The head was a tan color and it dissipated rather quickly.
Nose: Roasted aroma as expected with notes of coffee.
Taste: Some sweetness upfront but also a bit of a dry quality about it as well. Some tanginess and a very mild bitterness that dragged out a little after swallowing. I tasted cocoa, maybe some very subtle marshmallow like the can suggested but I dont think that I would have picked that up had I not been looking for it. Finally I noticed a smokey taste in the finish that was more prominant and easily identifiable.
Texture: Decently carbonated with a light bodied mouthfeel underneath.
Impression: This was a good beer to me. To be honest, it didn't stand out compared to other Porters I've tried so I might not intentionally seek it out. At the same time it was an enjoyable beer so I wouldn't be opposed to buying another one either. There are just some many beers out there that I likely won't bother to seek this one out for a revisit.
